· The Raiders inability to get untracked offensively this
year has been chalked up to the absence of wide receiver Jerry Porter,
however the play of the offensive line has not approached that of
last season. Left tackle Barry Sims has been particularly ineffective
this season and has cost the team with numerous offside penalties.
Unless Sims turns it around, look for Brad Badger to get more opportunities
at left tackle.
· Look for Packers backup running back Najeh Davenport to
lose playing time to Tony Fisher because of his inability to hold
onto the ball. Davenport fumbled once during the team's win over
Detroit in week two, but also lost the ball two other times when
quick whistles were called.
· Surprise, surprise the Dennis Erickson coached 49ers are
1-2 after this week's loss to the Browns. No matter the amount of
talent Erickson has, he can't seem to get past .500 and his team's
always seem to find a way to lose. See Cedrick Wilson's monumental
clock management blunder and a 4th quarter defensive collapse as
the latest examples.
· Keeping with the 49ers, for all of Erickson's talk about
throwing the ball downfield more this year, that has not transpired
and wide receiver Terrell Owens (again surprise, surprise) is letting
it be known he wants the ball more. The longer this goes on, the
more it looks like quarterback Jeff Garcia lacks confidence in his
ability to connect on deep balls.
· Bills running back Travis Henry continues to voice his
displeasure over the team's decision to take Willis McGahee in this
year's draft. However, a quick look at the stat sheet reveals the
Bills have surpassed 100 yards rushing in only four of their last
12 games. Granted the team has faced a number of strong run defenses
over those 12 games, but Henry, who is also known as a fumbler,
should get back to focusing on the task at hand.
· Keeping with the Bills, the team has be disappointed in
the play of their offensive line. In particular, right tackle Mike
Williams, the 4th overall pick in the 2002 draft, looked terrible
against the Dolphins in week three. Right guard Mike Pucillo, inserted
into the starting lineup this year in place of Marques Sullivan
to provide more physical play, has looked lost at times in pass
protection. However, there is too much talent in this unit for them
to continue this disappointing trend much longer.
· It appears the Colts made the right decision in not re-signing
weakside linebacker Mike Peterson during the offseason. The team
let Peterson go the Jaguars, opting to save cap space and insert
2002 4th round pick David Thornton into the lineup. Thornton has
responded well and leads the team with 34 tackles, including one
sack, after three games. Credit the Colts for getting a player who
fits their defense so well that late in the draft.
· The Texans claimed safety Marlon McCree off waivers from
the Jaguars. Look for McCree, who started 27 of 31 games in three
seasons with Jacksonville, including all 16 last season when he
led the Jaguars with six interceptions, to be inserted into the
starting lineup in place of the struggling Matt Stevens as soon
as he learns the defensive playbook.
· The Vikings can't be impressed with wide receiver Randy
Moss' lackadaisical play during their last two games. Moss was a
major factor in the team's win over the Packers in week one but
since then he has seen plenty of double coverage and has even been
triple covered when the team is in the red zone. With the ball not
coming his way, he has once again resorted to half-heartedly running
his routes and his pathetic effort in blocking on Moe William's
long run against the Lions looked very bad considering quarterback
Daunte Culpepper was leading the way for Williams.
· Andre Goodman joins Chris Cash and Chris Watson in becoming
the third Lions cornerback to go on injured reserve this year. Goodman
will go on IR because of a dislocated left shoulder, possibly becoming
the third Lions cornerback sidelined for the year.
· Keeping with the Lions, they also lost kick and punt returner
Eddie Drummond for a number of weeks after he suffered a high ankle
sprain and sprained his left medial collateral ligament this week.
Drummond had a punt return touchdown this year and the team was
very impressed with his return ability. Look for Az Hakim to replace
Drummond on punt returns and Avon Cobourne to take over as the team's
kickoff returner.
· Jets quarterback Chad Pennington is on target to return
November 9th for the team's game against the Raiders.
· Browns linebacker Chaun Thompson, the team's 2nd round
pick this year, has impressed the team with his play during limited
opportunities in the team's nickel defense and looks to get more
playing time in the weeks ahead.
· Texans running back Stacey Mack has been a bit of a disappointment
through three games and the coaches have been surprised by his inability
to break tackles by running over tacklers or making them miss. Supplemental
draft pick Tony Hollings figures to take carries away from Mack
and the team is also impressed with the play of 4th round pick Domanick
Davis. Apparently 2001 4th round pick Jonathan Wells has been relegated
to the low end of the depth chart but will continue to dress as
long until Davis returns from a groin injury.
· Rams tight end Brandon Manumaleuna continues to disappoint
the coaches because of his propensity for blown assignments and
dropped balls. At close to 300 pounds, Manumaleuna should be a force
as a run blocker but too often attempts to block the wrong defender.
Look for Cam Cleeland to be get more playing time on pass downs.
· The Vikings have been impressed with the play of running
back Onterrio Smith but don't look for the rookie running back in
the starting lineup anytime soon. Moe Williams has done nothing
to show he shouldn't keep the job and the coaching staff continues
to be concerned about Smith's ability to pick up the blitz.
· The Colts have been surprised by the play of returner Brad
Pyatt and think he could be their returner for years to come. He
has tremendous speed and the team thinks it's only a matter of time
before he breaks a return for a touchdown.
· With guard Mike Compton out with a foot injury, the team
was forced to move center Damien Woody to guard and insert 5th round
pick center Dan Koppen into the starting lineup. Koppen has surprised
the team with his play and it now looks like Koppen will be the
team's center for the rest of the year with Compton being placed
on injured reserve.
· In another example of a coach cutting a decent player that
he was not responsible for getting on the team, Chargers coach Marty
Schottenheimer cut 2001 2nd round pick Tay Cody. Although Cody has
had trouble staying healthy, it's hard to believe his presence would
not benefit a young Chargers secondary that now features three 1st
or 2nd year players as the team's top three cornerbacks. Look for
Cody to catch on with another team in the near future.
· Keeping with the Chargers, it looks like 2002 2nd round
pick Reche Caldwell will not dress until midseason. The wide receiver
broke his wrist and his loss is disappointing as the team was hoping
to use this season to determine whether he was a valid 2nd receiver.
Given Eric Parker's impressive play and the team's desire to get
Tim Dwight onto the field as their third receiver, Caldwell may
find getting playing time difficult when he returns.
· It's that time of year when Eagles fans begin wondering
what has happened to wide receiver Freddie Mitchell. Although he
was unable to beat out Todd Pinkston or James Thrash for a starting
position, the 2001 1st round pick was impressive in the preseason,
raising hopes he was about to turn the corner and begin contributing
as the team's third receiver. However, the perennial tease had just
four catches for 31 yards during the team's first two games and
management must be regretting their decision not to re-sign Antonio
Freeman who was productive as the team's third receiver in 2002.
· Don't believe the hype that the Jaguars will insert 1st
round pick Bryan Leftwich into the starting line for Mark Brunell
if the team goes winless over their first four or five games. David
Garrard was actually listed as the team's top backup to Brunell
for most training camp before the team quietly moved Leftwich up
to number two on the eve of the preseason. With the team not looking
like a legitimate playoff contender, Leftwich will definitely be
starting before the end of the season but the team does not want
to insert him into the lineup early and risk having him lose his
confidence.
· In a surprise the development, the Rams announced Marshall
Faulk requires surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee. Despite
dedicating himself to an offseason training regimen for the first
time in his career, Faulk had looked a little sluggish and tentative
this year and perhaps this can be chalked up to problems with his
knee. He won't require surgery to repair the broken bones in his
hand but will miss six weeks while the injury heels.
· Part of the Packers offensive woes can be attributed to
Brett Favre's inability to get the ball to the team's wide receivers.
The team's receivers are simply too banged up to produce and are
unlikely to begin producing until Donald Driver returns from his
injury.
· Chargers right tackle Vaughn Parker will undergo an MRI
on his sprained left knee this week and the team is bracing themselves
for bad news. It won't be a surprise if Parker ends up on injured
reserve. If so, he will join guard Toniu Fonoti as the team's second
starting offensive lineman to go on IR. With the team lacking experienced
depth at tackle, look for guard Solomon Page to move to right tackle
in Parker's absence and for Bob Hallen to come off the bench to
start at guard.
· Don't be surprised if the Dolphins bring in some potential
replacements for Mark Royals this week. Royals has not got the job
done so far this year and with the team's winning formula being
running the ball, defense and field position, they may go in another
direction.
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